|
Printer-friendly
1.
Some opponents of your position claim that your faithful do not
agree with your position and that you are misrepresenting their views.
How would you respond to that assertion?
We
recognize that the issue of immigration is an emotional and divisive
one. We recognize that not all of our faithful will agree with the
Church teaching on this particular issue. However, the bishops are
obligated as leaders of our Church to educate Catholics about the
Church teaching and to attempt to convince them that the Church
position is the correct one. We have not come to our position
lightly—it is based on Gospel and Church teaching, evolved from
papal writings, over a long period of time. It is our
understanding, from experts who know about the views of Catholics,
that there is a majority of Catholics who are unaware of the Church
position and may not have a strong opinion on immigration. This is
why we launched the Justice for Immigrants’ campaign, to educate the
faithful on the importance of the issue to the Church and to our
brothers and sisters who are immigrants. Not everyone will agree
with us, but with God’s grace we may be able to change the hearts
and minds of a large number.
2.
You say that immigration is a moral issue. Some claim that
breaking the laws of the United States is an immoral act and that the
Church is condoning such behavior. How would you respond to that?
Let me
say that the Church does not condone or encourage illegal
immigration because it is not good for society or for the migrant,
who lives outside the law and in the shadows. What we are trying to
do is change our laws to reflect the reality of migration in the
world today and to ensure that basic human rights and dignity are
respected. Yes, those in the United States without legal status
have broken the law, but they do so in order to survive and to
support their families. At the same time, they contribute to our
economy through their hard work and work in important industries.
So we must consider if the law is a just one and whether it is in
the best interest of the nation to change the law. We obviously
think the law should be changed.
3. H.R.
4437 makes it a crime to assist an undocumented alien. You say that
this could affect church workers and other humanitarian workers. Does
that mean that church workers do actively assist undocumented immigrants
to remain in the country? Does the Church, thus, encourage
undocumented immigrants by helping them?
The
Church has many social service, legal, or health programs which
assist immigrants. The law does not require us to ask an immigrant
for documentation before providing assistance. We believe that is
the correct policy, since we are not law enforcement specialists—we
respond to human need. The provision in the House bill would
criminalize anyone who assists an undocumented person knowingly or
with reckless disregard to whether a person is undocumented. This
could be providing them a meal in a soup kitchen or any kind of
basic needs assistance. As human service providers, we should not
be forced to pick winners and losers or turn someone away who is in
need. Humanitarian and church workers, as well as any other Good
Samaritan, should not be considered criminals by showing acts of
mercy.
4. The
sponsors of H.R. 4437 claim that the provision which allegedly
criminalizes church workers for assisting undocumented immigrants will
not be enforced, that it is more designed to apprehend and prosecute
smugglers and traffickers. Do you agree with this assessment?
No.
The sponsors can find a way to apprehend and prosecute smugglers and
traffickers without placing church personnel and property at risk.
They should re-examine the language and eliminate what would harm
church workers who perform acts of charity.
5. Some
claim that the Church is for open borders. Do you have a position on
the enforcement of immigration laws?
The
church supports the right of the sovereign nation to control its
borders. That is not the issue here. The issue is that the
immigration system, which includes enforcement, is flawed and needs
repair. As an example, our nation has spent nearly $25 billion on
border enforcement over the past ten years, yet the undocumented
population has more than doubled in the same time period. We need
a new approach. We believe that by reforming the legal immigration
system we will take pressure off of the enforcement side and relieve
the pressure on our borders. Creating legal avenues for migration
will reduce the need of migrants to cross the desert and to depend
on human smuggling. We also believe our proposals are pro-security.
By legalizing the 11 million undocumented in our nation, for example,
we know who is here. By creating a temporary worker program and
improving family immigration, we also know who is coming.
6.
What do you say to members of your faithful who are U.S.
citizens, may be struggling economically, and have trouble with finding
jobs which in many cases undocumented immigrants may be filling?
As we
have said, we do not believe that undocumented immigration is good
for society or the migrant. In some cases, it is not good for the
U.S. worker because it can drive down wages. That is why we are
trying to change the status quo so that a legal immigrant work force
can bargain for higher wages, driving up wages for everyone. We
also believe any temporary worker program should ensure that U.S.
workers are protected and have the “first bite at the apple,”
or the
first shot at a job.
As you
know, migrant workers labor in low-skill but important jobs, such as
agricultural workers, as construction workers, and as service
personnel. As President Bush has stated, many Americans are not
working for those jobs or competing for them.
7.
Do you believe President Bush is doing enough to support
immigration reform?
President Bush has shown leadership in putting immigration on the
political agenda. He has taken some criticism from many,
including some in his own party. We do believe that presidential
leadership will be important in the debate and in the effort to
produce a comprehensive bill which addresses our immigration
crisis. On May 15, the president spoke clearly about supporting a
path to citizenship and a comprehensive approach to immigration
reform.
8.
What do you plan to do to influence the outcome of this debate?
Well,
we will continue to advocate our position with lawmakers,
particularly Senators. We have organized a grass roots campaign,
called the Justice for Immigrants campaign, so that Catholics may be
involved. And we will continue to speak out on the moral
consequences of immigration and how it impacts human dignity and
human life.
9.
What do you say to opponents who claim that your position is an
amnesty and that you are rewarding lawbreakers over those who have
stayed in the system and waited in line?
Our
position is not an amnesty. It requires undocumented workers to
pay a fine and work for six years prior to being eligible for a
green card. Thus, they are “earning” the right to remain in the
country. Once they are eligible, they will have to wait behind
those who are currently waiting in line for a green card. As for
rewarding lawbreakers, we must consider that these people are
working hard, paying taxes and otherwise contributing to our economy
and life here in the United States. Since these people are here
to help us, not hurt us, we must consider whether our immigration
laws are broken and fix them.
|
